5 ms·

I don't like all aspects of this guy's philosophy. He is to a large extent only concerned with his own well-being. A great example is where he talks about how h

I don't like all aspects of this guy's philosophy. He is to a large extent only concerned with his own well-being. A great example is where he talks about how he fired his entire management team because they asked for an equity share in this company. For startups, the philosophy should be "we're all in this together", not "I own the company and you're not going to get a share of the success." That being said, the book is a very entertaining read.

mattmaroon 18y ago
There are two basic problems with people who give you advice based on their own experience. 1) It may have been correct for them to do whatever they are advising you to do, but incorrect for you to do it. 2) It may have been incorrect for them to do whatever they are advising you to do, but they did so many other things correctly (including, but not limited to, being in the right place at the right time) that they succeeded wildly anyway and therefore don't recognize some or all of their mistakes as such. From a lot of the advice I've read of his, I think it suffers from a little of both.
- DanielBMarkham 18y ago
  Wise words. I used to read and listen to a LOT of self-help/business development material. I found at least a 10-1 noise-to-signal ratio as far as material I thought had relevance to me. Then, I winnows out all of that stuff, I came to realize that each author can only give you their best shot at explaining how it worked for them in their situation. Simply because they think they know how to make it: that doesn't make it true. They just have theories and observations that they've made into life rules. The attitude and tactics that worked as a publisher in 1982 in Manhattan might be the opposite attitude you need for Silicon Valley in 2008. If they're honest they'll tell you "Beats me, kid. This is just my opinion." But it's really hard to sell books like that. And even if they are spot on, if there is ONE set of truths or poems or something that is THE answer for what you need in your situation -- the things that you think are useful in that 10-to-1 ratio -- you have no way of knowing whether your selection criteria matches you up to receive what you need. It's just a gut feeling on your part.Probably a lot of books out there like "How to get Rich" where you could use the advice but its packaged the wrong way for you to select or consume it effectively. I know I wouldn't buy another book with "get rich" in its title. I don't want to get rich -- I want to help the most number of people possible. So I'm ordering the book. I might or might not have time to read it. One of the funny things I noted in the video was how readers kept reading it over and over. To me, we got something funky going on here. If you're reading it over and over, why aren't you out in the real world making money instead of reading? I've got a few books/tapes I have repeatedly listened to. Stuff like negotiation and communication skills that I am weak on and need practice. But mostly the good books you say "Wow! I needed that!" and put them down and start using them. You don't go back and re-read them. Somebody said once that the defining attribute of self-help books wasn't whether they actually helped you, it was that they made you feel good by reading them. Repeated reading is a warning sign.
  - mattmaroon 18y ago
    I don't think it's bad to read self-help books at all. It's just bad to take blanket generalizations as gospel. His advice, in particular, that you should never give up equity seems the sort that he succeeded in spite of.
    - DanielBMarkham 18y ago
      I don't either. That's why I said I was buying this one. It's just a crap shoot, that's all.
      - mattmaroon 18y ago
        Yeah, you just kind of have to have the attitude that you're searching for a diamond in the rough going in. I may buy that one as well. Check out J Paul Getty's How To Be Rich, which is both about how to attain wealth and what to do once you succeed. Pretty awesome really.
        DanielBMarkham 18y ago
        Thanks. Added to the list for the next Amazon purchase. Somebody should do a meta-book on success/self-help literature. I guess it started with "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill? I dunno, but there's a boatload of it out there.
        mattmaroon 18y ago
        My friend Richard Brodie did just that. It's called Getting Past OK. Worth a read.
deleted 18y ago
[deleted]

mattmaroon 18y ago

There are two basic problems with people who give you advice based on their own experience. 1) It may have been correct for them to do whatever they are advising you to do, but incorrect for you to do it. 2) It may have been incorrect for them to do whatever they are advising you to do, but they did so many other things correctly (including, but not limited to, being in the right place at the right time) that they succeeded wildly anyway and therefore don't recognize some or all of their mistakes as such. From a lot of the advice I've read of his, I think it suffers from a little of both.

DanielBMarkham 18y ago
Wise words. I used to read and listen to a LOT of self-help/business development material. I found at least a 10-1 noise-to-signal ratio as far as material I thought had relevance to me. Then, I winnows out all of that stuff, I came to realize that each author can only give you their best shot at explaining how it worked for them in their situation. Simply because they think they know how to make it: that doesn't make it true. They just have theories and observations that they've made into life rules. The attitude and tactics that worked as a publisher in 1982 in Manhattan might be the opposite attitude you need for Silicon Valley in 2008. If they're honest they'll tell you "Beats me, kid. This is just my opinion." But it's really hard to sell books like that. And even if they are spot on, if there is ONE set of truths or poems or something that is THE answer for what you need in your situation -- the things that you think are useful in that 10-to-1 ratio -- you have no way of knowing whether your selection criteria matches you up to receive what you need. It's just a gut feeling on your part.Probably a lot of books out there like "How to get Rich" where you could use the advice but its packaged the wrong way for you to select or consume it effectively. I know I wouldn't buy another book with "get rich" in its title. I don't want to get rich -- I want to help the most number of people possible. So I'm ordering the book. I might or might not have time to read it. One of the funny things I noted in the video was how readers kept reading it over and over. To me, we got something funky going on here. If you're reading it over and over, why aren't you out in the real world making money instead of reading? I've got a few books/tapes I have repeatedly listened to. Stuff like negotiation and communication skills that I am weak on and need practice. But mostly the good books you say "Wow! I needed that!" and put them down and start using them. You don't go back and re-read them. Somebody said once that the defining attribute of self-help books wasn't whether they actually helped you, it was that they made you feel good by reading them. Repeated reading is a warning sign.
- mattmaroon 18y ago
  I don't think it's bad to read self-help books at all. It's just bad to take blanket generalizations as gospel. His advice, in particular, that you should never give up equity seems the sort that he succeeded in spite of.
  - DanielBMarkham 18y ago
    I don't either. That's why I said I was buying this one. It's just a crap shoot, that's all.
    - mattmaroon 18y ago
      Yeah, you just kind of have to have the attitude that you're searching for a diamond in the rough going in. I may buy that one as well. Check out J Paul Getty's How To Be Rich, which is both about how to attain wealth and what to do once you succeed. Pretty awesome really.
      - DanielBMarkham 18y ago
        Thanks. Added to the list for the next Amazon purchase. Somebody should do a meta-book on success/self-help literature. I guess it started with "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill? I dunno, but there's a boatload of it out there.
        mattmaroon 18y ago
        My friend Richard Brodie did just that. It's called Getting Past OK. Worth a read.

deleted 18y ago

[deleted]